Friday, April 20, 2012

Alcohol Poisoning: Not a College Rite of Passage

By Rachel Sherwood

During my freshman year in college, I experienced firsthand the dangers of overdrinking and alcohol poisoning.

My reasons for engaging in this particular form of self-torture ran the gamut of usual excuses: All my friends were doing it, I wanted to fit in, I wanted to try new things, I was bored, I was with friends. I convinced myself I could keep up with my peers and drink just as much if not more than they were drinking.

Within an hour after making that fateful decision, I had downed seven shots of tequila and two margaritas. My last memory of the evening’s exploits involves me throwing up in a trash bin in my dorm. People (some of whom I’d never met) told me I later moved to the restroom. When I came to the next morning, I was still severely drunk and dehydrated, and still throwing up. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I saw broken capillaries peppering my face, red eyes, and a massive bruise on my forehead from when I tried to walk through a closed door face first.

I was lucky. Not everyone survives alcohol poisoning. The parents of Carson Starkey, a college freshman who died from alcohol poisoning from a fraternity hazing, created the Aware, Awake, Alive program to bring awareness to college campuses and “prevent the senseless loss of young adult lives from alcohol poisoning.”

Sometimes stories of drunken mishaps are mistakenly viewed as a badge of honor, or a rite of passage. Most of the time you just look foolish and stupid. Competitive drinking should never be a game.

No comments
:

Post a Comment

Repost.Us

Join the Discussion

This blog is designed so that patients and doctors can have a candid dialog about health care issues. Let your voice be heard. Send us your article, video, or photos today. We have a spot waiting for you. Just because something is published here doesn’t mean Texas Medical Association supports or endorses it.

SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL

Yes, We Know

Me&My Doctor is grammatically incorrect. We did this on purpose. Patients come first.

TMA accepts no responsibility for the opinions and information posted on the Me And My Doctor blog, whether by TMA members and staff, or any third party. Such opinions do not necessarily reflect the policies of TMA. TMA specifically disclaims all liability for claims or damages that may result from any posting. TMA reserves the right to remove any materials that could be considered offensive. In no event shall TMA be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on this site.